Baseball: Geneva runs wild in sectional semifinal blowout

Only one of Geneva’s 10 hits during Wednesday’s Class 3A Sycamore sectional semifinal was for extra bases. The Vikings made the most of nine singles and base running opportunities Belvidere North provided through walks and errors to cross the plate often in the 12-1 win.

Geneva stole 10 bases to ensure runners were in scoring position when the ball was put into play.

Vikings sophomore AJ Minderman gave up only one run on three hits over five and two thirds innings to earn the win.

Geneva (31-7), top seed in sub-sectional A, will return to Sycamore Park Field on Saturday to battle Rockford Boylan for the sectional crown. The Titans, seeded fourth in sub-sectional B, beat Wheaton Academy 7-4 in Wednesday’s second semifinal.

Belvidere North finished the season with a 20-12 record.

“Our guys came ready to play. I think we did the things we needed to do to get runs,” Geneva coach Brad Wendell said. “Base stealing is something we've done well all year and we're going to continue to try to take advantage of it if we can. I’ve got guys that can move a little bit so we're just going to continue to play hard and be aggressive.”

Geneva’s biggest base hit came early.

Vikings leadoff batter Mason Bruesch smashed the third pitch of the game into the right field gap for a triple. Nicholas Torrence followed with a fly out to left that allowed Bruesch to score with the team’s first run.

“Coach Wendell told us to attack that outside fastball,” Bruesch said. “The Belvidere North pitcher threw one and I jumped it the other way.”

Geneva plated runs in five of the seven innings.

“We didn't play our best game, but when it comes down to it, Geneva is just a really good baseball team,” said Belvidere North coach Connor Walsh. “A bad combination to have.”

Facing the minimum number of batters, Minderman cruised through the first three innings.

“I've mainly been a fastball, changeup pitcher, but my curveball was working really well for me today,” the southpaw said. “So that helped me out a bunch.”

Noah Tauscher, Belvidere’s leadoff batter in the bottom of the fourth, snapped the string by punching a single to right field. Minderman’s well-executed pickoff throw to first baseman Gavin Dworak erased the runner.

The Vikings broke the game open in the top of the fifth inning by scoring four runs on two walks and four singles to take a 10-0 lead.

Minderman wiggled out of a jam in the fifth inning after giving up a run on two hits. With two outs and runners on first and second in the sixth frame, the sophomore turned the ball over to reliever Matthew Martija. The junior fanned the only batter he faced on four pitches.

“My pitch count was getting really high at the end because I wasn't locating super well, but I would have liked to have finished,” Minderman said. “But I think it was honestly the right idea to take me out and let Marty (Martija) help me out.”

After allowing the first two batters to reach base in the bottom of the seventh, Martija struck out the next three hitters to secure the victory.